A home is a fundamental infrastructure for a decent life – it is as basic a human need as food and water. A civilized society would not accept that people managed without these nutritional basics so why does it seem to put up with such stark inequality or shortage of accommodation in London? If a minority of people were hoarding food and trickling it out at extortionate prices, with food banks being the norm for most people, there would surely be civil unrest. Of course, the demand for food can be met from anywhere in the world now: but the creation of new housing suffers uniquely due to its reliance on a finite and static commodity: ‘land near employment’. London, with its global reach, productive economy and vibrant atmosphere, has recently created many thousands of new jobs and thus continues to attract fresh residents year on year in search of their livelihoods. But it cannot create more land. And in that basic imbalance is the housing problem born in the capital.